Coil handling system and method



N. B. LANE ETAL con. HANDLING SYSTEM AND METHOD July zo, 1943.

Filed Feb. 3, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l mum.

3 EEN. sNmw RMN/ 9mm E MESH. m EM N o MMA T nmn T NME July 20,1943. l

N. B. LANE ETAL 2,324,855 COIL HANDLING SYSTEM AND METHOD Filed Feb. s,1941 2 sneets-sheet 2 7o 47 's #E Q' INVENTORS NORMAN a. LANE,

WILL/AH 5. MINGLE s.

BY HERMAN H. COLSp/V. ,fgMW

ATTRNE L12 xfa Patented July 20, 1943 con. HANDLING SYSTEM AND METHODNorman B. Lane, Englewood, William S. Mingle,

Leonia,

and Herman H. Colson, Teaneck, N. J.,

assignors to Aluminum Company of` America,

Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 3,1941, Serial No. 377,176

1s claims. (ci. :1o-4s) This invention relates toV rolling mills, and

more particularly to a coil handling system and' method for operatingupon the delivering coiled strip metal to a strip mill for rollingtherein.

In the operation of strip rolling mills, espevcially those designed'andused forthe production of wide cold rolled strip and sheet metal, it isdesirable to provide the coiled strip stock with a straight flat 'endportion or tail prior to its delivery to the mill, the length of suchtail being sufl'icient to reach the mill rolls and enter therebetweenwhen the coilis brought into unwinding position in front of the mill. Itis also desirable to deliver the tailed coils to the mill in such amanner that the tail ofa coil can be entered into the mill with' minimumdelay and effort and without marking or damaging the material, in orderthat the mill may be operated substantially continuously and the cost ofrolling the strip be maintained at a minimum.

Under various operating conditions, each `coil to be rolled is requiredto be provided with a tail ranging from about two feet to sevenfeet ormore in length, the long-tailed coils being required for instance whenbridlingequipment is used for tensioning `the strip during rolling. Whenrolling wide strip stock of 'various metals and their alloys,particularly in the heavier gauges and in a work hardened condition aswhere coils of metal are re-rolled Without intermediate annealing, withwhich stock this invention is particularly concerned, itis practicallyimpossible for the operators to pull out and straighten the end of thecoiled strip and also to flatten the same in a transverse direction forintroduction into the mill without considerably damaging the same, whichlatter results in scrap loss, and Without undue delay. difllculty, andaccompanying loss in rolling time. Recourse to auxiliary tail pullers orformers` as heretofore used has not been entirely satisfactory becauseof the extraneous and difficult handling conditions occasioned by theWeight and bulk of such large wide Vcoils together with their elongatedtails. I i

In general, therefore, the principal object of the invention is toprovide a simplified and lmproved coil handling method and systemwhereby coils of strip metal to be rolled are provided with straightflat tails of predetermined length and supplied to the mill withoutdamage, for entry therein with minimum delay and effort in order toexpedite the strip rolling process.

In accordance with the invention, it is a further aim to provide a novelcoil handling mech- V anism in aligned relation in front of the mill,the mechanism specifically comprising a coil support or carrier fortransferring the coils from an intermediate position into unwindingposition, a power actuated storage conveyor for delivering the coilsone-by-one to the coi' support, and a tail former or pulling device orstraightening and flattening the outer end of the coil and dischargingthe same to the storage conveyor. Movement of` the coils from theoutermost position at the tail puller to the unwinding position in frontof the mill is effected in substantially a unidirectional path of travelto prevent delays in feeding the coils and to effect all necessarytransfer movements by a rolling action, thereby to prevent damage to thecoils and scratching of the surface of the metal. This latter provisionis especially essential with the handling and production of highlyfinished and bright surfaced sheet-strip metal.

The invention further specifically contemplates the provision of a noveltail forming device having driven bending rolls and automatic controlmeans therefor functionally related to a coil receiving support,whereby, after a tail of predetermined length is formed on the coil,automatic discharge movement of the coil along the coil support towardsthe storage conveyor` is effected by reversely operating the tailpuller, and means is provided toprevent buckling of the tail. Continuedcoil movement after its tail is free of the tail puller, is effected bygravity, and simple means is provided to cause the coil to turn on itsaxis and raise the tailinto substantially a vertical position as thecoil is` received on the storage conveyor. Means is provided on the coilsupport to permit manual turning of the coil on its axis to bring itstail into a forwardly extending `substantially horizontal position inalignment with the roll pass for threading through any bridlingequipment and entering into the mill rolls upon delivery movement of thecoil `into its unwinding position in front of the mill, preferably byreciprocation of the coil support.

The invention has other features of novelty and advantages as will beapparent to one skilled in the art upon a reading of the detaileddescription thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein one embodiment of the invention ls shown. It will be appreciatedthat the invention is not limited to the `specific details disclosed,that the various component elements may be`considerably modified, andthat Avariants may be employed in adapting the invention to varioussituations.v Likewise,

certain features of the invention may be utilized independently of theirassociaton with various other elements vin the manner specicallydisclosed. A

In thedrawings: i

Fig. 1 is a somewhatdiagrammatic longitudinal vertical sectional view ofthe apparatus of this invention; y

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view partly in section to an enlarged scaleof the tail forming device;

Fig. 4 is an end view thereof looking in the direction of the arrowsIV-IV of Fig. 3 with a portion of the ,framework broken away to show thesupport for one of the rolls of the device;` and Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryside elevational` view showing the means for driving the lower lset ofrolls from the upper set.

'I'he cooperative relationship of the apparatus constructed and arrangedin accordance with the invention is clearly'shown in Figs. 1 and 2.Referring thereto, theyreference numeral I indicates the tail puller bymeans of which straight flat tails of predetermined length areformed onthe ends of the coils of strip metal thatare to be rolled. I-Irepresents the contiguous coil support on which the coils are supportedduring the tail pulling operation. rThe support II extends forwardly ofthe tail puller a distance which is greater than the length ofany tailwhich may be formed on a coil. The forward end of the support isdisposed at a lower elevation than that portion of the'support adjacentto the tail puller, or in other Words the coil support is provided witha substantially level section I2 immediately in front of the tail pullerand a downwardly inclined portion I3, the length of which is illustratedby the line X. Preferably, the coil supt port is of the roller tabletype, which construction is well known in the art and consists of aplurality of small rollers that are suitably journalled at their ends inlongitudinal supporting bars. The purpose of providing the'inclinedportion I3 will be hereinafter described.

At the end of the roller table coil turning means I is provided, whichmay'take the form of an elongated plate disposed at substantially Thepairs of coil supporting blocks I3 of the conveyor are spaced apartequal distances, and

at a lower elevation than its coil receiving end so that the coils notonly are advanced toward the rolling null but are lowered to a levelwherein the top of each coil is substantially level with the same leveland inclination as the supporting plane of the rollers of the table,across which means each coil rolls as it is discharged from the rollertable, the coil moving off such means and coming to rest on a storageconveyor I6. The conveyor I6 comprises parallel endless chains I1 havingpairs of transverse coil supporting blocks I8 for receiving acoilthereon. The chains are trained around pairs `of sprockets I9 and 20that arel carried by shafts 2I and 22 the shafts being suitablyjournalled at their ends insuitable framework. The upper chain flightsor runs are supported against deflection by suitable longitudinallyextending supportingmembers 23.

The conveyor is adapted to be driven by means of a motor 24 operatingthrough a self-contained speed reducing unit 25 which has drivingconnection with the shaft .22. `Since the coils are deposited on theconveyor and discharged therefrom one-by-one, it is preferred to use amanually actuated means, such as a push button, for initiating operationof thedriving motor 24, and a motor control circuit-preferably isprovided whereby the motor will automatically come to rest afteractuating the conveyor through a predetermined distance. Such motorcontrol is well known and ls lnot herein illustrated.

the plane of the roll pass.

As each coil is discharged from the conveyor, it

f is received by a reciprocable carrier or transfer car 26 that issupported for horizontal movement along tracks 21 disposed in front ofthe rolling mill. with flanged whee1s28 in engagement with the track 21.A power cylinder 30 having a piston working therein is provided foradvancing and retracting the car, the piston being connected to a pistonrod 29 that has suitable connection with the framework of the car. I

While the car may be employed solely for the purposeof receiving eachcoil from the conveyor I6 and moving the coil into. unwinding positionin front of the rolling mill, the coil there being transferred tovarious well known types of coil unwinding apparatus, we prefer to adaptthe car for rotatably supporting the coil in unwinding position. To thisend the upper side of the car is composed of a series of coil supportingrollers that are journalled in the framework of the car. At the front ofthe car the series of rollers are curved upwardly so that the front sideof the coil will be embraced and supported thereby. In effect, thisconstruction forms a roller cradle for supporting the coil for unwindingmovement.

We have here shown a typical strip rolling mill of the 4-high type inwhich .the coiled strip is adapted to be rolled. The mill compriseshousings 3I, a pair of relatively small work rolls 32, and large back-uprolls 33, the rolls, of course, being journalled in the usual manner anddriven by means of the usual drive mechanism not shown herein. Also, thetype of mill is not essential to this inventionsince other types ofmills may be used. At the front side of the mill rolls we show somewhatschematically, bridling equipment that may bev used to tension the stripduring the rolling operation. AS here shown, the bridling equipmentconsists of an upper and a lower series of bridling rolls 35 and 38,respectively, the upper set of rolls 35` being vertically movable'and intheir lower positions being disposed between adjacent pairs of lowerrolls, whereby the strip is caused to take or follow a sinuous path asVit -is drawn through the bridling equipment by the Workrolls 32 in theusual manner.

As here shown, the lower set of bridle rolls is rotatably supported bystationary frame members 38 while the upper set of rolls 35 is supportedby side members 39 that are suitably slidably supported in the lowerframe members 38 and adapted to be raised and lowered by means of apower cylinder 40 that is secured to a cross beam secured at its ends tothe mill housings. 'I'he piston of the cylinder 40 is connected throughmanual screw adjusting means II to a cross head 42 which is connected tothe side members 39. Adjustment of the adjusting means 4I isprovided tocontrol the amount of deflection imparted to the strip by means of thebridling rollers.

The car 26 is provided at each side Referring now to the tailpullingmechanism I9 which is shown more clearly in Figs. 3, 4, and 5,the device comprises a pair `of pinch r feed rolls 44 and 45 and upperand lower sets of bending and straightening rollers 46 and 41. The pinchrolls 44 and 45 are disposed in a common vertical plane while the lowerrolls 41 are disposed in vertical planes midway between the axis of theupper rolls 46. 'I'he rolls are mounted between suitable end frames orhousings 48 that are carried on a stand 49. At one end, all of the rolls44 and 46 carry gears 50 which mesh with gears that are mounted on stubshafts 52 that are journalled'in the adjacent frame 48. The upper endsof the frames or housings 48 are connected by a cross plate 53 on whichthe driving mechanism for the tail puller is supported. 'I'he stubshafts 52 are also provided with `end bearings 54 that are secured tothe underside of the cross plate 53. i

The lower pinch roll 45 and the lower bending rolls 41 are journalled-at their ends in bearing blocks 55 mounted for vertical slidingmovement in guideways or windows 56 in the side frames 48. The pinchroll 45 is adapted to be pressed against the underside ofthe upper roll44 by means of springs 51 that are `interposed between the underside of.the slide blocks 55, in which the roll 45 is journalled, and the upperface of adjusting screws 58. Each adjusting screw 58 is threaded into anut member 59 carried by a side housing 48, a jamb nut 66 being providedto lock the screw in adjusted positions. As shown more clearly in Fig.4, the nut member 59 is of L shape with one leg` thereof supported onthe bottom edge of the window 56, the side frame 48 beneath the nutmember 59 being transversely slotted or cut away in order to accommodatethe lower end of the adjusting screw 58. It will be seen that by turningthe screws 58 with respect to the nuts 59, the pressure of the pinchroll 45 against the order to drive the lower rolls 45 and 41, pinions 1|are mounted onthe opposite ends of the upper rolls as shown more clearlyin Figs. 4 and 5. Similar pinions 12 are mounted on the adjacent ends ofthe lower rolls. Pinion 1I and pinion 12 mesh with pinions 13 and 14,respectively, and the latter'pinions mesh with each other. The pinions13 and 14 are journalled between pairs of arms and 16, respectively,that are loosely mounted on the ends of the associated upper and lowerrolls, and the ends of the pairsof arms 15 and` 16 are joined by links11. The journal pin for the pinion 13 preferably is fixed to the housing48 to prevent oscillation of the arms 15, but it will be apparent thateach lower roll will be positively driven from its associated upper rollthrough the pinions just described. Thus, in any adjusted position ofthe lower bending rolls and during vertical movements of the lower pinchroll, pinions 14 and 12 associated therewith are always maintained inmesh as the distances between their centers are maintained constant bythe links 11 and 16. As shown in Fig. 5, it, of course, is.unnecessaryto provide the upper centrai bending roll with a drive pinion1 I.

In the operation ofthe system as a Whole, coils of heavy gauge stripmetal are brought into a position adjacent to the tail puller I0. Suchcoils may be supplied in batches from an annealing furnace in the usualway. For instance, a loaded annealing tray having a batch i of coilsstacked on end thereon will be brought into position for removal of thecoils one-by-one roll 44 can be increased or decreased by coni trollingthe loading of the springs 51.

Vertical adjustment of the lower bending rolls 41 with respect to theirupper rollers 46 is accomplished by actuating adjusting screws 6I whichhave direct bearing engagement with the undersides of the slide blocks'55 and threaded engagement with nut members 62 which correspond to thenut member 59. Normally these bending rolls will be adjusted so that thestrip being operated upon will but lightly be engaged by the bendingrolls,` advancing of the strip through the device being accomplished bythe pinch rolls. All the rolls are driven at the same peripheral speedsso that no relative movement between therolls and the surface of thestrip takes place, thus eliminating the possibility of marring orscratching the surface of the strip. Guides or flllermembers 63 aredisposed between the rolls at upper and lower sides of the path ofmovement of the strip through the device so that the end of the stripwill be properly led from `one pair of rolls to the succeeding pair ofrolls. These guides are supported or secured at their ends to the sideframes 48. v

One of the gears 5| meshes with a gear 65 secured to a jack shaft 66that is supported in bearings mounted on the upper side of the plate 53.At its inner end the jack shaft carries a gear 61 in mesh with a drivepinion 6.8 that is mounted on the output shaft of a gear reducing unit|59,`

the input shaft of such unit being coupled to a reversible drive motor10. It will thus be seen that all the upper rolls 44 and 46 are driven.In

by suitable lifting means and deposited on the roller table Il which isdisposed'at a convenient Working level. A coil 80, for example; isdeposited on the roller table and is so arranged that the coil must beunwound in a clockwise direction in order to unwind the strip. The endof the coil is cantilevered or bent outwardly from the body of the coilsufliciently to permit entry of such end between the feed rolls 44 and45. This operation may easily be performed by first bending the endoutwardly and then bodily pushing the coil along the level portion ofthe roller table toward4 the tail puller.V In the meantime, an operatorwill actuate the start push button 8| which is conveniently located tostart the motor 10. The feed rolls 44, 45 and the bending andstraightening rolls 46, 41 are driven through the gearing mechanismheretofore described in a direction to pull the strip through the tailpuller, a roller stop 82 being mounted on the front edge of the crossplate 53 against which the .coil is drawn and supported during the tailpulling operation. The roller support B2 consists of a verticallyarranged series of small rollers journalled in supporting brackets 83.`

It will be seen that the feed rolls 44, 45 draw the strip from the coiland during passage of the strip past the bending rolls 46, 41, it isbent alternately in opposite directions and thereby straightened andflattened, as will be appreciated. As the end of the strip emerges fromthe last set of bending rolls, it moves along a horizontal guide 84which consists of transversely spaced i .bars that are supported at oneend on a cross bar 85 secured to the housings 48 and at their rear endson vertical legs 86. The tops of the guides 84 along which the stripmoves is provided with a suitable material, such as fiber board or thelike, so as to prevent scratching of the strip metal. In order toconfine the strip to atpredetermined path, strap members 81 are disposedin vertically spaced relation to the guides 84, the

` mined length of the strip has been straightened.

As here shown,` a limit switch 88 is adjustably carried by the guidemembers 84 in position to be actuated by .the end kof the strip. Thecontrol device88 is adjustedLlongitudinally of the guides 84, theposition 'of the device determining the length ofthe tailY formed on thecoil. When the limit switch is` actuated, the motor 'l0 is causedto bedriven in the lopposite direction through usual motorreversingfswitches. The rolls of the tail puller,l therefore, are drivenin the reversea direction, whereby the straightened tail is driven outof the machine. Since the tail is pulled out from the lowers'ida of thecoil, the weight of the-coil is imposed-on the' drawn out strip,whereupon ejectment of the strip from the tail puller causes the coil tobe bodily moved along vthe roller table Il.l

The coil moves but a very short distance before it enters upontheinclined portion I3 of the roller table,pwhereupon coil movement isassisted by gravity,-and as the distance between the center of the coiland the `feed rollers 44, 45 increases, the liability of the stripbuckling by the impelling action of 'the feed rolls is entirelyovercome. This is an important feature of our invention since otherwisewith extremely long tails it would be practically impossible to effectautomatic movement ofthe 'coil away from the tail puller withoutbuckling of the straightened tail.

After the end of the tail clears the feed rolls 44-45, the coil movesonto the stationary plate I5. low so that the coil will not slide acrosssuch plate but will roll thereover, thereby automatically causing thetail 89 to be lifted into substantially a' vertical-position. The extentof such rolling movement preferably is sufllcient to move the tailsomewhat past the vertical as shown in Fig. 1. In itshorizontalposition, the tail 89 holds a stop switch 90 depressed, andwhen released and elevated, as described, permits the switch to operateand automatically cut oif the supply of -current to the motor 10.

The coil rollsl off the plate I5 onto the chock blocks I8v of theconveyor I6.

The motor y24 of the conveyor is advance the conveyor one s'tep. asheretofore described, thercby bringing the succeeding pair of chockblocks I8 into operative position with respect to the plate I5 toreceive the next coil. The foregoing operations are repeated until thecapacity of the storage conveyor is reached. While the conveyor maybe'of such length as to accommodate any desired' number of coils, thestorage of about ve or six coils has been found suiilcient. The purposeof this conveyor is to enable the mill operators to form a supply oftailed coils for rolling during the time consumed in adjusting the draftof or operating the strip mill so that delay isminimized when rollingoperation is initiated or re-initiated.

With the car 26 in retracted position, the conveycr I6 is actuated andthe foremost coil 80 discharged therefrom andvreceived by the car. Theroller support on the car permits the coil to be manually rotated tobring the tail 89 into substantially horizontal position projectingforwardly toward the rolling mill, whereupon fluid pressure is admittedto the cylinder 80 and the initiated to The rate of travel of the coilis suillciently car advanced to bring the coilintocoil unwindingposition with respect to the mill, as shown by the broken lines in Fig.1.l Of course, the bridling equipment, if used, will be in open positionduring this movement so that the horizontal tail is permitted to movebetween the vertically spaced bridle rolls and enter between the workrolls 32. A limit switch 9| may be provided in the control circuit forthe conveyor motor 24 so that, when the car is out of coil receivingposition, the conveyor may not be actuated.

Upon completion of the rolling operation upon a coil in unwindingposition, the car is retracted and a succeeding coil deliveredv thereto.The cycle of car movements is, of course, repeated and the succeedingcoil entered into the mill with minimum delay and effort. O15l course,during the rolling of a coil at themill, a tail will be formed onanother coil at the tail puller and delivered to the conveyor I8, theseoperations being carried out until all the coils of a given batch havebeen rolled. v

At the discharge side of the rolling mill, the strip meta1 will, in theusual way, be re-coiled, and if re-rolling to a thinner gauge isdesired, the coils may be conveyed to a convenientposltion adjacent thetail puller and again handled as described.

It is apparent that, by theuse ofour invention, the time required forintroducing the strip into the mill is greatly` reduced. The material isnot marked nor its end damaged, so that scrap loss is reduced to aminimumand the handling and manipulation of the cumbersome coils greatlyexpedited. Due to the fact that a number of coils may be provided withstraight yflat tails of predetermined length'during re-adjustment oroperation of the mill, substantially continuous operation thereof iseifected when rolling procedure is started oragain resumed.

While we have described the preferred embodiment of our invention, itwill be understood that it is not limited to the apparatus and thedetails thereof described lbut that it may be otherwise constructed andembodied without departing from the spirit Aof the invention or thescope of the appended claims.

We claim:

- 1. A pre-rolling coil handling method which comprises positioning acoil of strip metal on its side in front of a rolling millbut remotelytherefrom, unwinding the strip from the, underside of the coil andmoving it in a horimntaltangential path away from the mill, reverselybending the unwound strip in planesrperpendicular thereto to form astraight tail, advancing the coil bodily toward the mill insubstantially a straight line path Linto an unwinding positionadjacent-the mill, turning the coil on its axis upon said advancingmovement through a distancel at least equal to the length of said tailto bring its tail into a forwardly extending substantially horizontalposition for entry into the mill during -a latter part of said advancingmovement, rotatably supporting the coil in said unwinding position topermit the strip to unwind therefromA as it passes through the mill, andhandling another cgil at said remote position during rolling 0f the srip.

2. A pre-rolling coil handling method which comprises positioningsuccessive .coils of strip metal one-by-one in front of a rolling millbut remotely therefrom, unwinding the strip tangentially from theunderside of each successive coil and moving it ina horizontal`pathextending awayfrom the mill. bending the unwound strip alternatelyin opposite directions in planes perpendicular to said path tostraighten and flatten a predetermined tail length thereof, reversingthe direction of movement imparted to said tail length to move the coilbodily toward the mill in substantially a straight line path a distanceequal to said tail length, assisting said bodily movement by the `actionof gravity, thereafter moving said coil in said path into an unwindingposition adjacent the mill, turning the coil on its axis to bring itstail portion into a substantially horizontal forwardly extendingposition for entry into the millduring the movement of the coil intosaid unwinding position, rotatably supporting the coil in unwindingposition to permit the strip to unwind therefrom as it passes throughthe mill, and handling a successive coil at said remote position duringrolling of the coil described.

3. A pre-rolling coil handling method which comprises positioning a coilof strip metal on its side in front of a rolling mill but remotelytherefrom, unwinding the strip from the underside of the coil and movingit in a horizontal tangential path extending away from the mill,reversely bending the unwinding strip to form a straight tail, movingthe coil from said remote position to an intermediate storage space,turning said coil as it enters the storage space to raise its tail intoa substantially vertical position,lintermit tently moving the coilthroughthe storage space toward the mill to permit a succeeding coil toenter the storage space, withdrawing the coil in 'foremost position inthe storage space androtatably supporting the same for movement intounwinding position adjacent the mill, and further turning the coil tobring itstail into substantially horizontal forwardly extending positionfor entry into the mill when the coil is moved into unwinding position.

4. A coil handling method which comprises supportinga coil with its axisin horizontal position, pulling a tail from the underside of said coil,straightening said tail by reverse bending thereof while pulling thesame from the coil, discharging the coil from the position at which itis supported for pulling of the tail by imparting movement tothe tail ina direction opposite to' that through which it is pulled during reversebending, thus displacing the coil from its tail pulling support, turningthe coil so 'that the straightened tail points Vupwardly and beyond overcenter position. conveying the coil to unwinding position, inserting thetail in a rolling mill, and thereafter rolling the strip metal andthereby unwinding the same from the coil.

5. A coil handling system comprising, in combination, a coil supportdisposed remotely from a rolling mill, in alignment therewith, a pair ofpinch rolls adjacent said coil support for pulling a tail from theunderside of a coil disposed bination, a coil support liposed remotelyfrom a rolling `mill, in alignment therewith, a pairV of pinch rollsadjacent said coil support for pulling a tail `from the underside of a`coil disposed thereon, a plurality of reverse bending rolls forstraightening the tail pulled by `said pinch rolls, means for drivingthe pinch rolls and the bending rolls, means actuated by the end of thetail for reversing said driving means, to move the coil bodily alongsaid support toward the mill, means for receiving the tailed coil andmoving it into unwinding position adjacent themill, the coil beingturned on its axis to bring its tail into a forwardly extendingsubstantially horizontal position and being entered into the rollingmill by said movement thereof into unwinding position, and means forrotatably supporting the coil in said unwinding. position for unwindingof the strip therefrom. 7. A coil handling system comprising, incombination, a coil support disposed remotely from a rolling mill, inalignment therewith, a pair of pinch rolls adjacent said coil supportfor pulling a tail from the underside of a coil disposed thereon, aplurality of reverse bending rolls for straightening the tail pulled bysaid pinch rolls, means for driving the pin'ch rolls and the bendingrolls, means actuated by the end of the tail for reversing said drivingmeans, to move the coil bodily along saidsupport toward the mill, astorage conveyor for receiving the 'tailed coils discharged from saidsupport, driving means for intermittently actuating said conveyor todischarge the foremost coil therefrom, means for receiving the coildischarged from said conveyor and moving it into unwinding positionadjacent the mill, the coil being turned on its axis to bringv its tailinto a forwardly extending substantially. horizontal position and beingentered into the rolling mill by said movement thereof into unwindingposition, and means for rotatably supporting the coil in said unwindingposition for unwinding of the strip therefrom.

`8. A coil handling system comprising, in combination, a roller tabledisposed remotely from a rolling mill, in alignment therewith, a pairofpinch rolls adjacent the rear end of said table for pulling a rearwardlyextending tail from the underside of a coil disposed on said table, aplu-1 rality of reverse bending rolls for straightening the tail pulledby said pinch rolls, means for driving said pinch rolls and said bendingrolls, means actuated by the end of the tail for reversing said drivingmeans to effectmovement of to discharge the foremost coil therefrom,'acarthereon, a plurality `of reverse bending rolls for ing mill throughwhich the strip material forming the coil is to be rolled.

6. A coil handling system comprising, in comrier cooperating with saidconveyor for receiving saiddischarged coil, means on said carrier forrotatably supporting the coil thereon, said coil being rotated to bringits upright tail into a forwardly extending position for entry into therolling mili, and means for moving the carrier into a coil unwindingposition adjacent to said mill, thereby to effect entry of the tail intothe mill.

9. A coil handling system comprising, in combination, a rollertablefisposed remotely from a rolling mill, in alignmenttherewith, apair of pinch rolls adjacent the rear end of said table for pulling arearwardly extending tail from the underside of a coil disposed on saidtable, a plurality ofreverse bending rolls for straightening the tailpulled by said pinch rolls, means for driving said pinch rolls and saidbending rolls, means actuated by the end of the tail for reversing saiddriving means to effect movementy of said coil bodily along said tabletoward the front end thereof, means at said front end of the table forautomatically effecting rotation of the coil on its axis so as to bringits tail into an upright position. a power driven storage conveyor forreceiving the tailed coils from said turning means, meansforintermittently actuating said conveyor to discharge the foremost coiltherefrom, a carrier cooperating with said conveyor for receiving saiddischarged coil, means on said carrier for rotatably supporting the coilthereon, said coil being rotated to bring its upright tail into aforwardly extending position for entry into the rolling mill, means formoving the carrier into a coil unwinding* position adjacent to saidmill, thereby to effect entry of the tail into the mill, said rollertable having a substantially level portion adjacent said pinch rolls, onwhich said coil is supported, and the forward portion being inclineddownwardly whereby to prevent buckling of said tail when the coil ismoved across said table upon reversal. of said driving means. p

10. A coil handling system comprising, in combination, a roller tabledisposed remotely from a rolling mill, in alignment therewith, a pair ofpinch rolls adjacent the rear end of said taule for pulling a rearwardlyextending tail from the underside of a coil disposed on said table, aplurality of reverse bending rolls for straightening the tail pulled bysaid pinch rolls, means for driving said pinch rolls and said ybendingrolls, means actuated by the end of the tail for reversing said drivingmeans to effect movement of said coil bodily alongsaid table toward theand to discharge the foremost coil to said carrier.

12. A strip mill system comprising a roll stand, a coil storage conveyoraligned therewith but spaced therefrom, -a carrier operable between saidconveyor and saidl stand, for receiving a coil from the conveyor andmoving it into an unwinding positionin front of said stand, meansoperable to form a rearwardly extending straight dat tail on theunderside of each coil of strip material to be ro lled,:said tailforming means being arranged at the receiving end of said conveyor fordelivery of the tailed `coil directly to said conveyor, coil supports onthe conveyor in longitudinally spaced relation,l meansfor actuating saidconveyor, and means actuated by said carrier for rendering said conveyoractuating means operative only when said carrier is in coil receivingposition. l

13. Mechanism for delivering coiled strip metal to a roll stand havingwork rolls, a roller bridle associated therewith, and provided withupper and lower sets of rollers operable to tension strip materialvpassing between said work rolls, comprising, in combination, la storageconveyor for supporting a'plurality of coils to be rolled, the conveyorbeing aligned with said roll stand but spaced therefrom, a carrieroperable between said conveyor and said stand, for receiving a coil fromthe conveyor and moving itv into an unwinding position infront of saidstand, means operable to form a rearwardly extending straight ilat tailon the underside ofjeach coil of a length sulcient to pass between saidsets of rollers and enter between said work rolls, said tail formingmeans including a. roller table in alignment with veyor inlongitudinally spaced relation, means for actuating the conveyor througha distance equal -to the spacing between said coil supports, to

front endlthereof, means at said front end of the table forautomatically effecting rotation of the coil on its axis so as to bringits tail into an upright position, a power driven storage conveyor forreceiving the tailed coils .from said turning means, means forintermittently actuating said conveyor to discharge the foremost coiltherefrom, a carrier cooperating with said conveyor for receiving saiddischarged coil, means on said carrier for rotatably supporting the coilthereon, said coil being rotated to bring its upright tail into aforwardly extending positionfor entry into the rolling mill, means formoving the carrier into a coil unwinding position adjacent to said mill,thereby to effect entry of the tail into the mill, and means responsiveto movement of said carrier out of coil receiving position forpreventing actuation of said conveyor driving means.

1l. A strip mill system comprising a roll stand, a coil storage conveyoraligned therewith but spaced therefrom, aY carrier operable between saidconveyor and said stand, for receiving a coil from the conveyor andmoving i1; into an unwinding position in front of said stand, meansoperable to form a rearwardly extending straight flat tail on theunderside of each coil of strip material to Ibe rolled, said tailforming means being arranged at the receiving end of said conveyor fordelivery of the tailed coil directly to said conveyor, coil supports onthe conveyor in longitudinally spaced relation, andV means for actuatingthe conveyor through, a distance yequal to the spacing between said coilsupports, to bring one of said supports into coil receiving positionbring one of said supports into coil receiving position and to dischargethe foremost coil to said carrierand means on said carrier to rotatablysupport the coil thereon for movement of its tail into a forwardlyextending position, whereby said tail is passed between the rollers ofsaid bridle and entered between said work rolls upon movement of thecarrier to said unwinding position.

14. A coil handling apparatus comprising, in combination, a coil supportdisposed remotely from a coil unwinding position in alignment therewith,a pair of pinch rolls adjacent said coil support for pulling arearwardly extending tail from the underside of a coil disposed on saidsupport, means for straightening the tail pulled by said pinch rolls,reversible driving means for driving said pinch rolls in a direction toform said tail and in the opposite direction to discharge the coil fromsaid support, and means including rotatable coil supporting members forreceiving the discharged coill and moving the same into said unwindingposition, said coil being rotated on said supporting members to bringits tail into a substantially horizontal, forwardly extending positionprior to said movement into unwinding position.

15. In a coil handling apparatus of the class described, in,combination, a coil supporting device incorporating a plurality ofrotatable members for receiving a coil of strip metal and supporting thesame for unwinding movement, a storage conveyor extendingrearwardly fromsaid coil supporting device, a tail puller mechanism incorporating acoil support and driven rolls disposed at the rear end of said conveyorin alignment therewith for initially receiving each coil and forming arearwardly extending tail on the lower side of the coil, meansassociated with said .unwinding movement, and mounted for substantiallyhorizontal movement from a coil receiving position to a coil unwindingposition, means for moving said. cradle from one position tothe other, atail puller incorporating a plurality of rolls for forming a rearwardlyextending straight flat tail on the underside of each coil prior todelivery thereof to said cradle for unwinding, a coil support associatedwith said tail puller and spaced fromsaid cradle in alignment therewith,means for bodily moving the coil across said support to remove its tailfrom between said rolls, and a coil conveying device interposed betweensaid coil support and said cradle for 'delivering the tailed coilvtosaid cradle in the coil receiving position thereof, said coil travelingin a straightline path from its tail pulling position to its unwindingposition.

17. A coil handling apparatus of the class described comprising, incombination, means incorporating a plurality of rolls for unwinding andstraightening the end portion of a coil of strip metal to form arearwardly extending tail on the underside of the coil, means forrotatably supporting the coil on its side in front of said rolls,reversible driving means for driving said rolls in a direction to formsaid tail and in the opposite direction to move the coil bodily acrosssaid supporting means, said supporting means extending towards aforwardly disposed coil unwinding position, means for receiving androtatably supporting the tailed coil after its discharge from saidsupporting means, and means for moving said coil receiving andsupporting means and the coil carried thereby forwardly into saidunwinding position, said coil being rotated to bring its tail into asubstantially horizontal, forwardly extending position for entry betweena pair of rotating rolls by said movement thereof into unwindingposition.

18. A coil handling apparatus comprising, in combination, a roller tabledisposed remotely from a coil unwinding position in longitudinalalignment therewith, a pair of pinch rolls adjacent the rear end of saidtable for pulling a rearwardly extending tail from the underside of acoil disposed on said table, means for straightening the tail pulled bysaid pinch rolls, means for driving said pinch rolls in a direction toform said tail and in the opposite direction to effect movement of saidcoil bodily along said table toward the front end thereof, meanscooperating with said table to receive the tailed coil and deliver thesame into said unwinding position, and means for rotatably supportingthe coil in said unwinding position for unwinding movement, said coilbeing rotated during delivery thereof into unwinding position to bringits tail into a forwardly extending position for entry between a pair ofrotating rolls by said delivery movement thereof into unwindingposition.

NORMAN B. LANE. WILLIAM S. MINGLE. HERMAN H. COLSON.

